Chemokines Chemokine Receptors And Disease

This volume in the Current Topics in Membranes series discusses the biology of chemokines and their binding partners, chemokine receptors, in normal and disease-related states. Chemokines are small proteins that are important in normal immune responses. Recent research demonstrates a role for these proteins in a variety of diseases such as heart disease, allergy, asthma, and cancer. As a result of the discovery of this link to disease, the topic of chemokines and drugs that block their actions has become an intense are of study. This book presents the topics of chemokines, chemokine receptors, and related pathologies in an integrated manner that provides the reader with a comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of these topics. Provides a comprehensive overview of the history, molecular biology, cell biology, pharmacology, physiology, and pathophysiology of chemokines and their receptors Each chapter discusses "future directions and unanswered questions" of chemokine biology Serves as a road map for future research

Chemokines are a superfamily of low molecular weight cytokines that were initially described based on their ability to induce the directed migration of leukocytes to sites of inflammation or injury. In humans, there are approximately 45 chemokines that bind to 19 G-protein-coupled receptors. In addition to mediating cellular migration, chemokines have now been shown to affect many cellular functions including survival, adhesion, invasion, proliferation, and to regulate circulating chemokine levels. Although chemokine receptors were first described on leukocytes, it is now appreciated that chemokine receptors are also expressed by many other cells including endothelial and epithelial cells. Since the first description of chemokine receptors on malignant cells in 2001, an extensive literature has developed describing the expression and function of chemokine receptors in many malignancies. These studies support the initial hypothesis that malignant cells use chemokine receptors to migrate to distant sites of ligand expression and that expression of certain receptors is associated with a poor prognosis. It has also become apparent that malignancies of different tissues may use a diverse profile of chemokine receptors and that the same receptor may mediate metastasis to different sites in tumors of different histological origins. Receptor function may also maintain survival and expansion of the primary tumor.

This authoritative reference presents the latest research on the role of chemokines, chemokine receptors, and genetic variability in the susceptibility, prevention, and treatment of HIV-1-exploring new therapeutic strategies for improved treatment of HIV-1 infected patients by blocking chemokine receptor expression. With contributions from s

This volume, new to The Receptors series, focuses on several areas, including the birth, maturation, and structure of Chemokines; Neutrophil, Dendritic, and Lymphocyte trafficking; and Chemokine Receptors in diseases such as AIDs and lung cancer. In particular the book contains cutting-edge information ranging from basic molecular and cellular mechanisms to physiological and pathological roles of chemokines.

Completely revised and expanded, this second edition of The Cytokine FactsBook is the most up-to-date reference manual available for all current well-characterized interleukins, cytokines, and their receptors. An additional 52 cytokines are included, doubling the number of entries from the previous edition. The key properties of each cytokine are described and presented in a very accessible format with diagrams for each of the receptors. The Cytokine FactsBook includes free online access to the regularly updated Cytokine Webfacts. Cytokine Webfacts is a web-based comprehensive compendium of facts about cytokines and their receptors that includes a variety of data representations, such as text, signal pathway diagrams and 3D images. This exciting resource is integrated into other databases via hypertext links to provide a unique network, and contains a web-enabled version of RasMol for viewing structures.

Chemokines play an important role in recruiting inflammatory cells into tissues in response to infection and inflammation. They also play an important role in coordinating the movement of T-cells, B-cells and dentritic cells, necessary to generate an immune response (response to injury, allergens, antigens, invading microorganisms). They selectively attract leukocytes to inflammatory foci, inducing both cell migration and activation. They are involved in various diseases, like atherosclerosis, lung and skin inflammation, multiple sclerosis, or HIV. Volume 1 of this two-volume set discusses the immunobiology of chemokines. It is divided into two parts: a) cellular targets in innate and adaptive immunity, and b) effector cell traffic-unrelated functions. Together with volume 2, which discusses the pathophysiology of chemokines, both volumes give a comprehensive overview of chemokine biology.

How do you keep track of basic information on the proteins you work with? Where do you find details of their physicochemical properties, amino acid sequences, gene organization? Are you tired of scanning review articles, primary papers and databases to locate that elusive fact? The Academic Press FactsBook series will satisfy scientists and clinical researchers suffering from information overload. Each volume provides a catalog of the essential properties of families of molecules. Gene organization, amino acid sequences, physicochemical properties, and biological activity are presented using a common, easy-to-follow format. Taken together they compile everything you want to know about proteins but are too busy to look for. The Chemokine FactsBook contains more than 40 entries on chemokines, and chemokine receptors from human or other origin, including IL-8, MCP-1, C5-a, RANTES, Lymphotactin, and CC CKR-1. The text provides information on tissue sources, target cells, physicochemical properties, transcription factors, regulation of expression in disease, receptor-binding characteristics, gene structure and location, amino acid sequences, and accession numbers and references. Contains over 40 entries on chemokines and chemokine receptors from human or other origin, including: IL-8 MCP-1 C5-a RANTES Lymphotactin CC CKR-1 Entries provide information on: Tissue sources Target cells Physicochemical properties Transcription factors Regulation of expression Expression in disease Receptor-binding characteristics Gene structure and location Amino acid sequences Database accession numbers References

Virtually involved in all pathologies that present an inflammatory component, it is now evident that, in the central nervous system, chemokines and chemokine receptors possess pleiotropic properties beyond chemotaxis: costitutive brain expression of chemokines and their receptors on endothelial cells, but also on neurons and glia, suggests a role for such molecules in mediating homeostatic cross-talk between cells of the brain perenchyma. Cross-talk between neurons and glia is determinant to the establishment and maintenance of a brain enviroment that ensure normal function, and in particular glial cells are active players that respond to enviromental changes and act for the survival, growth, differentiation and repair of the nervous tissue: in this regard brain endogenous chemokines represent key molecules that play a role in brain development, neurogenesis, neurotransmission and neuroprotection. As important regulators of peripheral immune response, chemokines are molecules of the immune system that play a central role in coordinating communication between the nervous and the immune systems, in the context of infections and brain injury. Indeed, in phatological processes resulting from infections, brain trauma, ischemia and chronic neurodegenerative diseases, chemokines represent important neuroinflammatory mediators that drive leucocytes trafficking into the central nervous system, facilitating an immune response by targeting cells of the innate and adaptive immune system. The third edition of the international conference "Chemokines and Chemokine Receptors in the Nervous System", hold in Rome in October 2013, represented an exciting platform to promote discussion among researchers in different disciplines to understand the role of chemokines in brain homoestasis. This Frontiers Research Topic arises from this conference, and wants to be an opportunity to further discuss and highlight the importance of brain chemokines as key molecules that, not only grant the interplay between the immune and the nervous systems, but in addition drive modulatory functions on brain homeoastasis orchestrating neurons, microglia, and astrocytes communication.

The acute inflammatory response is the body's first system of alarm signals that are directed toward containment and elimination of microbial invaders. Uncontrolled inflammation has emerged as a pathophysiologic basis for many widely occurring diseases in the general population that were not initially known to be linked to the inflammatory response, including cardiovascular disease, asthma, arthritis, and cancer. To better manage treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of these wide-ranging diseases, multidisciplinary research efforts are underway in both academic and industry settings. This book provides an introduction to the cell types, chemical mediators, and general mechanisms of the host's first response to invasion. World-class experts from institutions around the world have written chapters for this introductory text. The text is presented as an introductory springboard for graduate students, medical scientists, and researchers from other disciplines wishing to gain an appreciation and working knowledge of current cellular and molecular mechanisms fundamental to inflammation.

Chemokine Receptors and NeuroAIDS: Beyond the Co-receptor Function and Links to Other Neuropathologies focuses on unresolved or emerging issues concerning the role of chemokine receptors in neuronal injury and HIV neuropathology, including their ability to regulate fundamental neuronal and glial functions and their role in neurovirulence and neurotoxicity. Although the importance of these molecules in the CNS physiology and pathology is now apparent, these issues are still matter of debate, and further research is required to design effective pharmacological agents that specifically target the brain chemokine system without major side effects. To this end, specific topics have been selected and are reviewed by international experts within the basic science/medical community. This book encourages investigation in the most controversial areas and fosters interaction between clinicians and basic scientists. The book also increases awareness about differences in disease progression among different parts of the world as well as selected patient populations, which may also help identifying novel therapeutic strategies.